so he's affectionate. >> he's very, very affectionate. >> meantime, parents like amanda williams, nathan's mother, are latching on to the ipad, marveling at how the device is opening windows into their children's minds, even if the windows are open only a crack. >> i can't express to you enough, like, how amazing it is to watch him take his little finger and go like that in a controlled way. i think the thing that made us cry was when he flipped through it, and then he saw the tiger, and he went, "oh, i got to go back." [tiger roaring] roar! and went--boom. and he looked at us with this smile on his face, and he's like, "i did it." >> and it's such a tiny little thing. but it's--for him, it's huge, right? >> it's huge. it's huge. >> where do you see the ipad taking him? what's the next step and the next step? >> we don't know what the future holds for him in terms of speech. we like to think and we still hope that one day speech will come in whatever form, but if it doesn't and if it's not-- >> this will be his voice. >> this will be his voice. >> a report issued by the centers for disease